Document photographing machine



l8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 14, 1943 ,Baymond MHesaerZ ENVENTOR 20,1949 R. M. HESSERT DOCUMENT PHOTQGRAPHING MACHINE l8 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Jan. 14, 1943 MHeaaerZ INVENTOR flaymoind won Dec. 20, 1949 R. M.HESSERT DOCUMENT PHOTOGRAPHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1943 18Sheets-Sheet 3 ,Ba ymond Mlieaaerl AT TORPIY Dec. 20, 1949 R. M. HESSERTDOCUMENT PHOTOGRAPHING MACHINE 18 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 14, 1943 ATORNEY I Dec. 20, 1949 R. M. HESSERT 2,492,127

DOCUMENT PHOTOQRLPHING MACHINE flaymond'MHeaaerf INVENTOR Dec. 20, 1949R. M. HESSERT DOCUMENT PHOTOGRAPHING MACHINE l8 Sheets-Sheet 7 FiledJan. 14, 1.943

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DOCUMENT PHOTOGRAPHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1943 18 Sheets-Sheet 14 MI-lesser? ATTORNEY 20, 1949 R. M. HESSERT DOCUMENT PHOTOGRAPHING MACHINE18 Sheets-Sheet 16 Filed Jan. 14, 1943 En on II. ..V..

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Dec. 20, 1949 R. M. HESSERT DOCUMENT PHOTOGRAPHING MACHINE 18Sheets-Sheet 17 Filed Jan. 14, I943 3. m3 mA 5.

Patented Dec. 20, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 25 Claims.

This invention relates to a document photographing machine particularlyadapted for rapidly photographing bank checks, statements, index cards,letter and similar sheets.

The invention comprehends the provision of a document photographicmachine that will photograph documents of varying size, with particularreference to the length of the document from the top to the bottomthereof which may vary in length to any extent and be photographed in amanner that will provide a single continuous image of the document on afilm strip.

The invention provides for the production of photographs of documents ona film strip without wasting the film wherein each succeeding documentmay vary in size and will, have the photographic image thereof on thefilm arranged so that images of adjacent documents on the film will havetheir ends terminating in adjacent slightly spaced relation.

The invention comprehends the provision of a document photographingmachine having a feed mechanism for automatically receiving and feedingdocuments of various sizes successively through the photographic planeand then discharging the documents in successive order from the machine,while suitable document controlled mechanism feeds only suillcient filmto obtain an image of the document and then discontinues the film feed.A source of illumination is controlled by the document for providingsufficient light to illuminate the document as it passes through thephotographic plane for photographing on the film.

The invention provides an indicia-displaying mechanism forsimultaneously displaying identification, numbering and dating indiciato the photographic plane of the camera simultaneously with a documentpassing through the same photographic plane for identifying and indexingthe photo record. Suitable means is provided for changing the setting ofthe indicia by convenient manually operated means at any time during theuse of the machine.

The invention further provides a means for stopping the feed of adocument in said machine at the beginnin of the feeding operation ifmore than one document is fed into the machine at the same time.

The invention provides means for automatically feeding the lead strip ateach end of the photographic film controlled by the operation of thecover when the camera is to be removed or replrced in the machine. Itwill also feed a predetermined length of film over the exposed portionwhen the cover is opened for removal of the camera before all of thefilm is used.

The invention provides a convenient structural assembly for the documentfeeding mechanism with the illuminating structure associated therewithin a manner that each may be conveniently swung out of normal operativeposition into an inoperative position to provide ready access to theentire mechanism for inspection, repair and replacement; a signal systemfor indicating when the film strip breaks, or the film is completelyused as well as the absence of the camera in the machine; and theprovision of a light indicator for registering to the machine operatorwhen one or more of the lamp bulbs of the illuminating system are burnedout or extinguished.

The invention comprehends the provision of a document feed structurehaving a plurality of rollers arranged in a manner to provide apartially cylindrical feed path to the document for flexing the documentinto curved form during feeding through the machine past thephotographic plane for obtaining a more uniform feeding of documentspast the photographic plane wherein the feed rollers are arranged tocooperate for bending the document into curved form as it is fed throughthe machine in order to obtain cfficient feeding of.documents of varyingsize through the machine for photographing, with the reduction offriction and noise in the operation of the machine.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective showing the front end of the machine disclosingthe location of the controls indicators and the feed and dischargeopenings.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation looking at the righthand side of the machinewith the outside casing removed, portions being broken away and shown insection to illustrate some of the structural details.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation looking at the lefthand side of the machinewith the casing partly removed and partly shown in cross section.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the machine with the casing removed.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken substantiallyalong the line 5-5 of Fig. 3 and disclosing the document feedingmechanism.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken substantiallyalong line 66 of Fig. 3 looking from the rear and disclosing the drivemechanism for the document feeding and indexing devices.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation looking from the lefthand side of the machine showing the document controlled device forstarting the film feed drive mechanism in none in osition.

I ig B 1: a fragmentary cross section taken substantially along the line8-4 of Fig. '7 disclosing in detail the ratchet and pawl arrangement forcontrolling indexing and film feed operations.

Fig. 9 is a cross section taken substantially along the line 8-8 of Fig.4 looking from the left-hand side of the machine and disclosing thedocument feed roll assembly.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the documentstraightening device.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail side view, partly in cross section,showing the light switch and its associated mechanism.

Fig. 12 is a top plan view partly in cross section of the switch shownin Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged detail cross section showing the documentstraightening device taken substantially along the line i3l3 of Fig. 5and looking from the left-hand side of the machine.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged cross section showing the indexing mechanismtaken substantially along the line i4-l4 of Fig. 6 disclosing the date,location, and counter units.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged cross section taken substantially along the line15-45 of Fig. 6 disclosing the clutch construction for the indexingmechanism and the counter advancing disc. Fig. 16 is a cross section ofthe counter in its uppermost position and the manually operable settingmeans looking forward from a rear portion of the machine.

Fig. 17 is an enlarged cross section showing the details of the counteroperating mechanism taken substantially along the line il-i'l of Fig.16.

Fig. 18 is a detail view of the location unit partly broken away withportions shown in cross section.

Fig. 19 is a horizontal cross section taken substantially along the linelQ-IO of Fig. 18.

Fig. 20 is a detail view of the date unit with portions broken away andshown in cross section.

Fig. 21 is a horizontal cross section taken substantially along the line2I-2i of Fig. 20.

Fig. 22 is an enlarged cross section taken substantially along the line22--22 of Fig. 2, disclosing the clutch mechanism for operating thedocument feed rolls.

Fig. 23 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse cross section showing thepressure feed rolls and the drive feed rolls in relation to thestationary cylinder of the document feed mechanism.

Fig. 24 is an enlarged cross section taken substantially along the line24--24 of Fig. 3, showing the mechanism for stopping the indexing drumin a preselected position where the date, location, and counter unitsmay be set.

Fig. 25 is an enlarged cross section taken substantially along the line25-25 of Fig. 3, disclosing the drive mechanism for feeding the film.

Fig. 26 is a cross section taken substantially along the line 2I 28 ofFig. 25, disclosing the clutch arrangement for operating the film drivemechanism.

Fig. 27 is a cross section taken substantially along the line 21--2| ofFig. 25, disclosing the arrangement of the friction discs of the filmfeed drive mechanism.

Fig. 28 is an enlarged cross section taken substantially along the line28-28 of Fig. 3 showing the clutch and drive mechanism for feeding a 4predetermined footage of film before and after using the camera.

Fig. 29 is a cross section taken substantially along the line 29-28 ofFig. 28.

Fig. 30 is a cross section taken substantially along the line 30-30 ofFig. 28.

Fig. 31 is a view similar to Fig. 28 showing the clutch engaged shortlyafter the film drive has started to operate.

Fig. 32 shows an enlarged fragmentary perspective of the controlmechanism for feeding a predetermined footage of film or lead strip atopposite ends of the film.

Fig. 33 show-s the camera in side elevation looking from the left-handside with the cover broken away.-

Fig. 34 is a vertical cross section through the camera taken on line34-44 of Fig. 33.

Fig. 35 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation showing the cameraand the latch mecha-- nism for holding the camera in the machine.

Fig. 36 is an enlarged cross section showing the contact mechanism forelectrically connecting the circuits in the camera to the electriccircuits in the rest of the machine.

Fig. 37 is a horizontal cross section taken substantially along the line31-31 of Fig. 33.

Fig. 38 is a diagrammatic view showing a portion of a film strip withdeveloped images of a document, date, location, and number.

Fig. 39 is a circuit diagram for the machine.

Frames Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the present machine is mountedgenerally upon a movable truck or base 50 having secured at its upperstructure thereof apair of longitudinally extending side bars 5| and 52.Located at the front oi the machine and secured to the inner sides ofside bars 5! and 52 by screws 55 is a pair of upright frame walls 53 and54 which are prevented from lateral displacement by tie rods 58. Theframe walls 53 and 54 are adapted to support the document feedingmechanism, the lighting device, the indexing mechanism and its controls,and the control keyboard of the machine. Located midway between the endsof side bars 5| and 52 and secured thereto is a cross plate 51 uponwhich is mounted a suitable motor 58 for driving the various units ofthe present machine. Located at the rear of the machine and secured toside bars 5i and 52 is another cross plate 60, upon which rests thecamera unit and the drive mech-- anism for feeding the film. The machineis enclosed within and rendered light-proof and sound-proof by asuitable casing 59 which is secured to side bars 5| and 52.

Document drive and feed mechanisms Before the documents designated bythe character D in Figs. 7, 9 and 23 are fed into the present machine,they are first arranged in groups and stacked upon a table 8|. Table 6|is slidably and removably mounted upon frame walls 53 and. on suitablebrackets carried by said walls. The documents are then fed one at a timethrough a throat 62 (Fig. 9) formed by the front portion of an arcuateguide plate 53 forming parts of an upper guide unit and the rear edge ofan auxiliary table 84. The table 84 extends transversely between and issecured to the frame plates 53 and 54 by screws 55. The documents arethen fed around a stationary cylinder 68 by means to be described, pasta focal range shown in dot and dash lines in Figs. 4

